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England ( Source: Twitter)
England have made a couple of changes to their Playing XI in a bid to extend their lead in the ongoing five-match Test series against India. The visitors are currently 1-0 up in the series after a historic 28-run win in Hyderabad. The two will meet for the second match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam from Friday, February 2.
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A day before the start of the second Test, England announced their line-up, which will include a debutant and a veteran. An injury to frontline spinner Jack Leach opened the door for uncapped Shoaib Bashir to the national team. Meanwhile, James Anderson has replaced pace spearhead Mark Wood.
Leach was ruled out due to an injury on his left knee. "It's a big shame for us and a big shame for him. It's something we're assessing every day but the medical team have taken over on that, so hopefully it's not something too serious that keeps him out for longer," England captain Ben Stokes said on Wednesday.
Rookie spin attack to trouble India in Vizag
The injury did not prompt England to abandon their spin strategy, going ahead with three spinners in Tom Hartley, Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. Left-arm orthodox Hartley was the key destroyer in the first Test, picking up 9 wickets from two innings. Right-arm off-spinner Bashir is a proven player in the domestic circuit and England will be hoping that their spin attack doesn't lack sharpness. The 20-year-old was unavailable for selection in the first match due to a visa issue.
Wood bowled just 25 overs on a surface that didn't offer much to the pacers and failed to take a single wicket. His replacement Anderson is just 10 wickets away from joining Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in the elite list of bowlers with 700 or more wickets in Test cricket. The 41-year-old last played at The Oval in July 2023 against Australia.
England XI for 2nd Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson